Ohio's Republican Sen. Rob Portman says a vote is likely to happen by the end of the month on the beginning of the end for the Affordable Care Act.
Portman says a budget resolution will be voted on in the next week, which would establish when the Senate will vote on a reconciliation bill. That bill would decide on the type of transition to a new system, which could take two to three years.
“During that time period, people who are under the exchanges -- or are covered under expanded Medicaid -- would have the opportunity to continue to do so. So the Medicaid expansion that Ohio chose to do would continue throughout that transition.”
Portman added that a long-term goal would be to reform Medicaid so that states can waive some mandates of the program.
“If somebody wants a high deductible with a catastrophic coverage, they can buy that. But if they want a coverage that is a lower deductible that has a richer benefit package, they can buy that as well – and let the market decide that.”
The federal government rejected one such plan – dubbed HealthyOhio– last fall.
